Lynne Smith, Harfield
On Monday October 15, my husband and I went to Ultra Liquor Store in Wynberg to buy some wine.
He went into the shop and I drove the car up to the recycling igloos, right at the back of the parking lot. I had my little dog in the car.
I had offloaded the empties and when I turned around there was a man in the car who drove off at high speed. I ran screaming back to the shop and all the staff came out to see what was happening. They saw the car turn right into the main road, then left to go under the railway line.
With a slight delay they called the police who arrived within a few minutes. I was so impressed by their professional and yet kind manner. They got the basic details of the car from me and radioed it out.
Within 10 minutes it was reported the car was headed towards Muizenberg. Then a tow truck driver said he had messaged his colleagues and a man from the Wynberg Neighbourhood Watch had messaged other groups in the area.
Ten minutes later the car turned into Military Road, and then turned left again. The police were following, but when they turned the corner the car was standing there alone.
A passer-by said he had seen a man get out of the car with a little white dog and enter a property. They decided to wait and watch.
Officer Mfana said we could go home when I had signed the statement so I phoned a friend to fetch us.
We had not been home for more than half an hour when I received a phone call from a vet clinic in Muizenberg to say that somebody had brought my little dog in having found him running in the road.
The following morning Officer Mfana phoned to say he had received my message about the safe return of my dog and that my car was now in the police pound. The whole episode lasted just three hours, but it seemed like three agonising months.
My dog and I are inseparable. I only have praise for the Ultra Liquor staff, the police, the neighbourhood watch man and the tow truck man. I hope they read this and know how extremely grateful we are to
have been on the receiving end of such kindness and dedication. There are
definitely still very good people out there.
